September Southern Plains Drought Webinar

Rainfall across the Southern Plains has been inconsistent this summer. Some areas, like the Texas Hill Country, have experienced floods while other areas, like the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles, have been relatively dry and seen long stretches of days in excess of 100ºF. Initially, drought conditions showed some improvement across the Southern Plains, but rapid onset (i.e., flash) drought is now developing due to the extreme heat and dry conditions. This webinar will provide an overview of current and forecasted drought conditions for Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.

Additionally, an El Niño pattern is in full swing. Typically, El Niño brings cool, wet winters to Texas, but there are a lot of factors that may complicate that. Andy Hoell, from NOAA’s Physical Sciences Laboratory, will talk about what to expect from a typical El Niño in the Southern Plains, and what factors might make this year different from what’s expected.

This webinar will be recorded.

Presentations:

• Current Drought Conditions: Joel Lisonbee, Cooperative Institute for Research In Environmental Sciences/NOAA/NIDIS
• El Niño and Southern Plains Weather: Andrew Hoell, NOAA/Physical Sciences Laboratory